Overwatch 2 Reveals Mid-Season 20 Patch Notes

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The mid-Season 20 update for Overwatch 2 is now live! It includes changes to the power of over a dozen heroes, a new Mythic skin for Doomfist, and some fun, limited-time events like the return of the Assault game mode. While not all events are available immediately, most of the update – including the hero balance adjustments – is playable in Overwatch 2 right now.

Season 20 of Overwatch 2 launched on December 9th, introducing the new melee hero Vendetta. Along with the new hero, the Winter Wonderland event began, and Doomfist and Wuyang were added to the Stadium game mode. Players can also now compete on Challenger Leaderboards for the Top 500 rankings in Competitive Play.

New Events in Overwatch 2 Mid-Season 20 Update

Image via Blizzard

Okay, so it’s been about a month into Season 20, and Overwatch 2 just dropped a mid-season update to shake things up. The coolest part for me is they’re bringing back Assault maps in Quick Play for a limited time! From January 8th to the 11th, we can play on classics like Hanamura, Temple of Anubis, and Volskaya Industries, but with all the current Overwatch 2 heroes and the updated balance. It’s awesome to revisit those maps with everything we’ve unlocked!

Assault, also known as 2CP, was a game mode in the original Overwatch. It’s no longer a standard part of Overwatch 2. In this mode, one team would try to capture two control points before the timer reached zero.

Over the next few weeks, two special events are coming to the game: Showdown Shuffle and Junkrat’s Loot Hunt. Showdown Shuffle runs from January 13th to 26th and builds on a game mode introduced last season. In this mode, players switch to a different hero in their chosen role whenever they get a kill or die twice. This time around, switching can also happen after a certain number of assists, and each match will feature random, game-changing modifiers – like heroes being half their size or jumping much higher! Junkrat’s Loot Hunt will be available from January 22nd to 25th, giving players the chance to earn up to nine Loot Boxes by playing matches throughout the weekend.

Overwatch 2 Mid-Season 20 Mythic Skin, Balance Adjustments, and More

Season 20 of Overwatch 2 introduces a new Mythic skin: Magma Titan Doomfist. This skin features lava-like sound effects, a customizable gauntlet, and color options in red, blue, and green. More skins will be available later in the season, including Cosmic OWL skins for Widowmaker, Lucio, and Reinhardt; Borealis skins for Mercy, Wuyang, Lifeweaver, Sojourn, and Echo; and Heist skins for Roadhog, Reaper, and Ashe.

As a huge Overwatch 2 player, I’m always excited to see how the heroes get tweaked with each patch! This time around, it’s great to see Roadhog, Freja, Genji, Illari, Moira, and Zenyatta getting some nice improvements to their abilities and Perks. On the flip side, they’ve dialed back a bit on Doomfist, D.Va, Ashe, Bastion, Symmetra, Vendetta, Venture, and Lucio – they got hit with some nerfs, but hopefully it’ll balance things out!

This Overwatch 2 update is a major rebuild of the game’s core, designed to improve its long-term stability. These kinds of updates are typically quite large, particularly on gaming consoles, but they actually result in a smaller overall game file size in the end.

With only about a month left in the current season, Season 21 is set to launch on February 10th. While details are still limited, the update could include the new Atlantic Arcology or Tokyo Overwatch 2 maps. Importantly, this update will also reset player ranks for 2026, so players are encouraged to aim for their highest rank before the change. The Season 20 Competitive period, running from January 30th to February 4th, will provide a good opportunity to climb the ranks.

Overwatch 2 Mid-Season 20 Patch Notes – January 8, 2026

Game and Event Updates

Rebase

Version 2.20.1 includes a complete overhaul for all platforms. Console users should anticipate a significantly larger update than normal.

Showdown Shuffle

Showdown is back with a new surprise! Starting January 13th and running through the 26th, players will switch heroes during matches, and unpredictable changes will add to the excitement. Play to complete challenges and win exclusive rewards like cosmetics, loot boxes, and Battle Pass experience!

Here is the list of modifiers that will randomly rotate during the match:

  • Mini Maxing
    • All heroes are 50% smaller. Health reduced by 30%
  • Lie Low
    • Heroes become invisible while crouching. However, their invisibility can still be detected at a short distance. The hero stops being invisible when they receive damage or attacks.
  • Power Punch
    • Quick melee attacks knock back enemies
  • Vampiric Healing
    • Heroes don’t passively regenerate HP, but each hero has the vampiric passive
  • Aerial Combat
    • Heroes deal and receive 50% more damage while in the air. Gravity decreased
  • Back in Action
    • Respawn time decreased. Does not apply during Overtime.
  • Damage Pack
    • Health packs also increase damage dealt by 250% for 10–20 seconds or until death.
  • Berserkers
    • Heroes don’t passively regenerate HP. For each 10% of total HP lost, increases attack speed by 6% and reduce cooldowns by 6%.
  • Super Jump
    • Heroes jump 200% higher
  • Explosive
    • Heroes explode on death, dealing damage to all nearby heroes.
  • Hyper Speed
    • Movement speed is increased by 30% for all heroes.
  • Buff Hunt
    • Every minute, one random hero has increased HP, deals more damage, and generates ult charge faster. Eliminate the buffed hero to gain the buff.

Quick Play Hacked: Assault Returns!

This weekend, January 8th through the 11th, I’m super excited to jump back into some classic Assault maps! They’ve brought them back for a special Quick Play event called ‘Hacked,’ and you can play them in 5v5, 6v6, or even the chaotic fun of Mystery Heroes. I’m definitely planning on getting some matches in!

Junkrat’s Loot Hunt

Junkrat’s Loot Hunt returns January 22nd–25th! Play the game to complete challenges and earn free lootboxes!

Tank Updates

Doomfist

Empowered Punch currently has no time limit, which can make it difficult for opponents to react. Giving it a duration will make the ability’s timing more predictable while still keeping it powerful. We’re also adjusting the size of its impact area to better match Doomfist’s size, making it easier to understand what areas are affected.

  • Rocket Punch
    • Empowered punch now deteriorates after 20 seconds.
  • Power Matrix perk
    • Projectile absorption area scaled down to more closely match the size of Doomfist’s model.

D.Va

While Extended Boosters did a good job of getting players to use Boosters more often, the extra damage they provided was a bit too strong for such a small benefit. We’re lowering that damage to keep the perk useful without making the game overly deadly.

  • Extended Boosters perk
    • Additional Booster damage reduced from 100% to 40%.

Roadhog

The knockback from Whole Hog can sometimes make it hard to finish off enemies. This slight damage boost makes it more dependable, particularly when fighting in open areas.

  • Whole Hog
    • Damage per pellet increased from 6 to 7.

Damage Updates

Ashe

Increasing Ashe’s effective range made her better at hitting targets from far away, but it also made her damage too reliable at those distances. This adjustment slightly reduces her power at long range, keeping her core identity as a long-range shooter intact.

  • Viper’s Sting perk
    • Ammo gained reduced from 2 to 1.
  • The Viper
    • Secondary fire falloff range reduced from 40–60 meters to 35–55 meters.

Bastion

We recently made Bastion’s gun feel better to use, but it also made him do a little too much damage. We’re slightly lowering his damage to balance things out while still keeping the smoother firing experience.

  • Configuration Recon
    • Damage reduced from 25 to 23.

Freja

I’ve been playing Freja a lot lately, and I’m really digging the changes to her main weapon. It feels way more reliable now, and I’m not constantly needing to charge up those special bolts. Plus, they buffed her ‘Take Aim’ ability, which is awesome – it now does enough damage to quickly take out enemies with 225 health, but it’s not overpowered or anything. It’s a nice balance!

  • Revdraw Crossbow primary fire
    • Maximum spread reduced from 2 to 1.5 degrees.
    • Spread now ramps up more slowly and fans out horizontally.
  • Take Aim
    • Impact damage increased from 30 to 35.

Genji

Genji’s increased ammunition lets him maintain constant attack pressure during battles and reliably finish off enemies without constantly reloading.

  • Shuriken
    • Ammo increased from 24 to 30.

Symmetra

Making the secondary fire projectile smaller makes it harder to hit targets, rewarding skilled players. Also, reducing the Teleporter’s health makes it easier to destroy, encouraging players to think more carefully about where they place it.

  • Photon Projector Secondary fire
    • Base projectile size reduced from 0.5 to 0.4 meters.
  • Teleporter
    • Base shield health reduced from 250 to 200.

Vendetta

Although recent updates made Vendetta easier to use, it’s still too powerful. These changes lower its damage output at important moments and make it harder to quickly defeat opponents.

  • Projected Edge
    • Damage reduced from 80 to 70.
  • Soaring Slice
    • Soaring Slice now starts on cooldown when respawning (does not apply when Resurrected or in Death Match)
  • Whirlwind Dash
    • Damage reduced from 80 to 70.
  • Raging Storm perk
    • Damage reduced from 40 to 35 per spin.

Venture

Drill Dash felt overly dependable at short range. We’ve slightly decreased its reach, making it a bit harder to hit with but more consistent with how it looks.

  • Drill Dash
    • Radius reduced from 2.4 to 2.0 meters.

Support Updates

Illari

Illari doesn’t currently contribute as much as other supports who focus on dealing damage, so making her attacks more powerful will help her have a bigger effect on matches and perform better when she’s in a good position and hitting her targets.

  • Solar Rifle
    • Maximum damage increased from 70 to 75.
    • Minimum damage increased from 20 to 25.

Lucio

Soundwave’s quick availability can be overwhelming for opponents. Making it less frequent will decrease Lucio’s ability to constantly pressure them, but it’s a small trade-off.

  • Soundwave
    • Cooldown increased from 4 to 5 seconds.

Moira

This update makes Coalescence more effective, bringing its power level in line with other hero ultimate abilities that support the team.

  • Ultimate cost reduced by 7%.

Zenyatta

Zenyatta can be vulnerable, which sometimes reduces how effective he is. Making his Discord Orb more powerful will help him have a bigger impact when he can stay safe and consistently apply it to enemies.

  • Discord Orb
    • Damage amplification increased from 25% to 30%.

Bug Fixes

General

  • Fixed an issue where D.Va’s Precision Fusion perk incorrectly applied to Micro Missiles instead of only her primary fire.
  • Fixed an issue where Cassidy could not ping enemies through walls during Deadeye, he now matches other heroes with conditional wall visibility. (no ticket)
  • Fixed an issue where aim assist would trigger on friendly pets and deployables.
  • Fixed an issue where Moira’s Biotic Grasp would not target Lifeweaver’s Petal Platform.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed Vendetta to temporarily store her Palatine Fang’s overhead slash
  • Fixed an issue in 6v6 Open Queue where Zarya’s Projected Barrier would not activate when holding the button early before targeting a teammate, matching the Role Queue experience.
  • Fixed an issue where Wuyang’s “Superflexor” mod would not activate on healing.
  • Fixed an issue where Mercy’s “Supply Surge” power would incorrectly grant Winston unlimited ammo.
  • Fixed an issue where Sigma’s “Astrophysical” power would not trigger other “on ability use” powers.
  • Fixed an issue with the trap on Junkrat’s mythic skin

Stadium

  • Fixed an issue where the general item “Superflexor” would not activate on healing for Wuyang.
  • Fixed an issue where Mercy’s “Supply Surge” power would incorrectly grant Winston unlimited ammo.
  • Fixed an issue where Sigma’s “Astrophysical” power would not trigger other “on ability use” powers.
  • Fixed an issue where Genji’s Dragonblade wasn’t counted as Ability Damage for Ability Damage effects.
  • Fixed an issue where the Gadget “Colossus Core” wasn’t sometimes not properly granting Knockback Resist.
  • Fixed an issue where the general item “Mark of the Kitsune” wasn’t counted as Ability Damage for Ability Damage effects.
  • Fixed an issue where Doomfist’s “Block Party” power could be kept permanently if sold in the shopping phase. Block Party has been re-enabled.

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2026-01-09 01:42